Three steps to understanding and letting go of your stress

Stress is something we all experience but it affects us all in different ways. Some of us become angry when stressed, some suffer physical ailments such as back pain, teeth grinding or skin irritations. Some struggle to sleep when stressed and others become overwhelmed with emotion. So as you can see, our reaction to stress is varied and can be problematic. This is where hypnotherapy can help. You see, you cannot avoid stress, it is inevitable, but you can change the way you react to it with hypnotherapy.   

How? Well, there are three simple steps that can help you better understand your stress and best of all, let it go!

1. Know your stress stimuli

It’s important to understand first and foremost what your stress stimuli’s are. Most commonly it’s work but there are many different things people find stressful. Perhaps the morning school run, the traffic on the way to work, the upcoming meeting or the pile of tasks due for completion, finances. When you begin to identify all the things that are stress stimuli in your life, you will see a pattern emerge which will help you to know which area to focus in on.

2. Know your stress response

The next step is understanding exactly how you respond to those stress stimuli. Do you shout? Do you eat more? Do you eat less? Do you drink too much? Does your body respond with physical pain? Once you have identified this, you can begin to explore why you think this is. Is this how you saw your parents react to stress when you were growing up? Is this a response that used to be effective in getting you what you wanted? Perhaps this reaction works for something else but doesn’t work for stress. There are lots of reasons why we react the way we do, but pin pointing yours is key to making positive change.

 3. Change your stress response

Once you understand what is causing you stress i.e. your stress stimuli, how you are reacting to stress i.e. your stress response and why you are reacting this way i.e. your programmed response, you are ready to make a change and this is where the hypnotherapy really comes into play. Hypnotherapy works with the response to the stimuli, and provides you with better ways you can respond to stress, undoing the unhealthy stress responses you may have learned or used over time. Hypnotherapy also provides you with the invaluable ability to relax and remain calm, which although sounds a simple solution to stress, is, in fact, the most effective! For example, instead of tensing your body when stressed causing physical pain, hypnotherapy can help you choose to breathe deeply and remain calm. Instead of feeling angry and shouting, hypnotherapy can help you choose to take a walk or read, all calming activities.

If you would like some help in understanding and letting go of your stress, then get in touch with a hypnotherapist today and see how hypnotherapy can help you make the positive changes you desire.